Aurora.
I was not a stranger to finding ways to pass the time. I was remarkably good at it. After my parents' death, I had come up with numerous creative ways to pass the time, without accomplishing anything useful. Granted, it was a very difficult time for me, emotionally, but I still hadn't lost my talent for doing absolutely nothing.
Here on the other hand was a different situation. I had gotten used to the little activities that had been scheduled for me daily. Now left with little to do and even fewer people to converse with, I felt like I was slowly losing my mind.
I spent most of my days stealing glances outside through the window of my room, taking long walks around the palace compound, and trying to eavesdrop on conversations as a form of entertainment, but it still didn't cut it. It seemed like everyone had disappeared and left me here.
Even my best friend had disappeared, and it wasn't like Irene to abandon me, which only made my suspicions grow more.
"Agatha," I said, turning my attention to the woman who had been assigned to be near me at all times. I understood the concept of a handmaiden, but the one I had wasn't this clingy. Agatha was always here, and I didn't like it all that much, I wanted my privacy to be able to throw tantrums like I was so tempted to do right now.
"Yes, my lady," She replied softly, coming closer to me, her attention fixed on me.
"Where is Irene?" It wasn't the question I wanted to ask, I wondered why my mind kept wandering back to Damien. After our last conversation, it almost seemed as if he had disappeared into thin air, avoiding me as much as he could. Granted, I had treated him weirdly then, but I had made sure to conceal it to the best of my abilities, it was clear I wasn't successful for him to be avoiding me like the plague.
"I have no idea, my lady. I haven't gotten information about her or the others in a while, I presume they are alright though so you have no reason to worry." She replied, her voice calm and respectful.
"Can you leave?" I said, breaking the silence that befell after her answer to my last question.
"Is there something wrong?" She asked, frowning a little bit, but at least she had the sense to step a few feet away from me as she stared down at me, her eyes moving around my body in an assessing manner.
"Yes, I just want my privacy. You're dismissed, I'll let you know if I need you." I said without looking up. She seemed to hesitate a little in it, probably contemplating whether it was a good idea, but after a while, she finally turned around and walked out of the door, and I was left alone for the first time today.
I took deep breaths and I tried to calm myself down. I didn't even know Damien well enough to be hurt by his absence, by the way, I didn't even like him, so it didn't make any sense that I missed him. You can't miss someone you don't know.
After I had calmed down, I sat back and closed my eyes, in an attempt to calm down my aching head, I had no idea when I slept off.
Once again, I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere, floating and trying to find stable ground, just like the rest of my other dreams.
"Where are you?" I screamed, looking around for the voice and presence I had grown accustomed to whenever I had these sorts of dreams. Before long after my question, I felt the presence again. Whoever it was that was able to appear in my dreams must be a compelling being.
"What do you want from me?" I asked after there was no attempt from the thing to speak.
"I want you to remember yourself, so many lives lay in your hands, and you sulk and worry about all the wrong things." The voice said, the frustration crystal clear in his voice.
I tried to swallow back the urge to snap at him, but I just couldn't so I said, "If you're so frustrated why don't you just tell me what I can do instead of speaking in puzzles of the damn time?" I asked with a hiss of Irritation. I had been looking for an outlet for my anger these past few days, and I wasn't about to let the opportunity I got to snap at someone for a good reason go to waste.
"Not everything is that simple, if I force you to remember it could ruin the whole process. It's something you need to find within yourself, it would be so much easier if you weren't in that palace." The voice said, so much venom entering his voice at the mention of the palace.
"Who are you?" I asked, intrigued. It was clear that whatever it was that I was involved with was something very personal, and whoever this person who kept appearing in my dreams because of it, must be someone important and someone who had also been affected by it.
"I can't tell you, but I'm someone you'll meet soon enough. Make sure to be careful, and don't try to force yourself. Instead of being frustrated about the lack of the presence of some specific people in your life, you should utilize it because this is our last chance." The voice said and the presence she had felt was no longer there.
I reached out blindly even though I knew there was no possibility I'd be able to touch him, I didn't care. I wasn't done with the conversation, I wanted to know more. I wanted to know who I was, I was so tired of the useless clues, of all the hope and pressure constantly put on me.
For once, I wanted things to be easy for me, but it seemed that kind of life was not meant for me.
I woke up with a Jolt and my eyes connected to Damien's own, as he stood by my bedside staring me down.
Except this time, the look in his eyes was far from the ones I had gotten used to, these held secrets, and promised things, horrible, horrible things.